Tourism in Berlin Reaches Record High in 2014

2014 was a great year for tourism in the city of Berlin as overnight stays increased 6.5 percent, topping 28 million for the first time in the city’s history. The steady growth has put Berlin among the top three most popular destinations in Europe and one of the fastest growing international cities for tourism in the world.

Berlin’s mayor Michael Müller spoke at a press conference to announce the growth and credited the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall as a major contributor to the spike in visitors. As Berlin’s other regular events gain in popularity, such as the Berlin International Film Festival and “Karneval der Kulturen” urban festival, Müller expects the growth to continue.

While many visitors originate from surrounding European countries, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands being among the top, over a million American tourists visited in 2014, making the United States the largest origin of overseas visitors.

During the press conference, Müller expressed confidence in reaching over 30 million overnight stays in 2015.

Stephen founded German Pulse and LGBT Germany out of a passion to introduce Americans to a Germany that goes beyond beer and polka (although with enough beer he has been known to polka it up a bit). He's a coffee addict, lover of wine and good times, a hit in the kitchen and editor of TV commercials. You can follow him on Twitter (@StephenWFuchs) to find out a lot more.